A December to Remember

This is the first weekend Casey and I do not having any plans....no work, no Christmas parties, no volunteering AND we have finished our Christmas shopping and grocery shopping!! SO, we are staying in all weekend, lounging around in our pj's and enjoying time together! I am going to bake, wrap presents and of course, catch up on blogs.

Lily has been loosing a lot of teeth over the past several months. She was even a tooth fairy for Halloween.

Now, all she wants for Christmas is her two front teeth....

Her Christmas program was a week ago and all the first graders did a great job with songs like Teaching Peace, Barnyard Boogie, Shake your Brains and Tony Chestnut.

Lily is third from the left on the top row. She had a pretty blue dress and blue bow on complete with new shoes!

A few weeks ago, Casey and I went to Lawrence for Sushi with a group of friends! YUM! We went to the restaurant Wa and Free State Brewery for a drink after.


We had five rolls all together and they were fantastic!



Casey trying sushimi (sp? raw salmon) for the first time.

 Our first snow was this week and Harry got to break in his new sweater!! Casey says he looks like a bigger doofus and that the stripes make him look fat! But, Harry loves his sweater! I am going to make him another one in a more slimming black.


Isn't he cute!



Sunrise in the park...even prettier with snow still on the ground.

Last night we got together with friends to celebrate the end of the week and Holiday. We are looking forward to the relaxing weekend. Now I really should start making Christmas candies! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (just in case I don't get my cards out)!!

November Highlights

Wow, where did November go?! I can't believe it is December 2nd and the weather has been beautiful! Who would think that we would have 60 and 70 degree weather in Kansas this time of year! It does make it hard to get in the Christmas spirit, but hopefully we will have snow soon!

So much has happened at the Woods house in the past month and here is a recap of our month!

The major, most time consuming item....WE MOVED! We are now at a large three bedroom apartment at Four Seasons Apartments. We have been contemplating a move and selling our house for a while now. Finally, the time just felt right. We moved the weekend before Thanksgiving and we are almost all settled and unpacked. It feels like home, very comforting, and that is just what I need right now.

HOWEVER, we still have boxes, and years of "stuff" to sort through at the house. I didn't want to move things that we might toss or donate, so it was left for later. We will need to clean and fix up the house a little to sell and hopefully we can do that in the next few weeks.
We love the new place! We have so much more room and the best part....I have a fully functional craft room! Plenty of room for sewing, scrapbooking, and crafting! We are working on Casey's "man cave" too!

We spent our first Thanksgiving, just the two of us, at our new home. I baked a couple pumpkin pies, we ordered out a smoked turkey and all the fixings from a local restaurant and loved just spending a quiet Thanksgiving weekend just us!


My first made-from-scratch pumpkin pies with frozen crusts. The Libby's canned pumpkin recipe made good pies!

Four Seasons is right next to Jones Park and Harry has loved all the walks in the park! Harry still wakes up early, so I take him out each morning for a walk. Usually, it is right at dawn and the sunrise is beautiful through the trees! We have seen geese on the ponds and squirrels in the trees. Harry loves the juniper trees and smelling everything!!!


Harry has his eye on a squirrel, or leaf, or another dog?!



View from the park of the apartments.



Another view from the park. I love having the park as our "backyard"!



Geese on the pond at sunrise!

 

Sunrise through the trees.



Beautiful sky at sunset.



A full moon rising one evening last week.

This weekend I decorated the Christmas tree! I was so excited to go through all the ornaments, remembering when, where and why we had each one. Our tree if full of memories and I love that it is a hodge-podge of different homemade, whimsical, traditional, glittery, felt and wooden ornaments!


This cute little guy I found at a beautiful gift shop in Lebo, during their Open House last month. I have several new bird ornaments this year! 



Also new this year...looks like he has a sweater on and I had to have him!

Brought him home from our trip to Baltimore in April this year.

I have been catching up on crafting. I made a new Christmas wreath from yarn and and have been crocheting Christmas gifts. Today, I plan to paint wooden signs, also Christmas gifts! AND, I need to do some paper crafting, designing Christmas cards and paper ornaments. I will post more over in our How Crafty Are We blog.

We had a busy month and I am sure December will be just as crazy with Holiday activities! We are looking forward to Christmas and a new year in a new home!

Central Kansas Yarn Hop

I look forward to October each year! Yes, for Fall, but also for YARN HOP!! Three fellow Fiber Floozies and myself set out on a two-day adventure hopping across the state, visiting 11 yarn shops, and 3 or 4 quilt shops and then some!

Many of the Kansas yarn shops organize this hop over four days, with a passport to stamp, prizes, freebies, and discounts! This is my third yarn hop and usually we venture south, but this year we headed north Friday morning, starting our hop in Wamego at The Wicked Stitch. From there, we hopped to Wildflower in Manhattan, The Shivering Sheep in Abilene, (stopping for lunch at Mr K's Farmhouse, yummy), Yarns Sold and Told in Salina, Oh, Yarn It! in McPherson, and yarn. in Hutchinson. Of course, we had to eat dinner at Carriage Crossing in Yoder before spending the night in Newton.

Saturday morning we were up early waiting for the first shop to open. We visited two yarn and two quilt shops in Newton, The Creation Station and Odd Balls, before hopping down the rode to Wichita shops, Twist and Heritage Hut. We stopped for a quick lunch at Playa Azul in Old Town. By Saturday afternoon, we were happy to have a short trip home, stopping at Sugar Bunny Blvd in El Dorado at the last shop. We left her our completed passports for the drawing. Hopefully, an Emporia hopper will win a prize this year!

We all found great bargains and filled the car with a lot of yarn, fabric and treasures. Each shop gives away a small 30 yard ball of yarn to use in the freebie pattern given with the passport. This year it is an Infinity Stash Scarf and I can't wait to start my scarf! Here are just a few pictures from the weekend!

Window display at The Wicked Stitch in Wamego.

 The Infinity Stash Scarf sample made up by The Wicked Stitch. You can see the crochet and knit version both.



Me in The Shivering Sheep in Abilene. She has a bargain basement and I came away with a huge bag full!

  

One of my favorite shops, Yarns Sold and Told in Salina.

Window display at yarn. in Hutchinson. Notice the sign...We Don't Make Mistakes, We Do Variations.

My fellow Floozies at yarn. in Hutchinson.

 

My stash after the first day! Of course, I added to it Saturday!

Lucy

We put our Lucy to sleep last Tuesday night. It was a difficult decision to make, but in the end we knew that she was no longer in pain and running free, tongue wagging, ears flapping in doggie heaven. She has been mine for almost 12 years. Many non-dog people don't understand, but she was our fury kid, I loved her more than anything!

Lucy was the best dog. I bought her in 2001 from an Idaho pet shop when she was about 6 weeks old. She was the cutest puppy and loved all the snow that first Winter!

As a walker hound/lab, she had many lab traits, but was more hound. She loved to bay, chase animals, and run in the country.
When we moved back home to Kansas she met other dogs, first Bella, then Auggie, Harry and Moogie. I know she preferred being an only dog and just tolerated all the other dogs. But she did love to chase and play tug of war!

Lucy loved to be outside...playing, sunning in the grass or out for walks! I am sure she preferred to be off her leash, but she never learned to obey or come when called. Casey called her Lucifer! As you can tell, she had a mind of her own, was very stubborn, but we loved her all the same!

Since she was a puppy, Lucy never liked storms or fireworks. She usually hid under my legs or in the bath tub....it's like she knew we were in Kansas and that is where you were suppose to go!

In May, we noticed a mass on her front leg. After taking her to the Emporia vet and K-State for more tests, we learned she had osteosarcoma....a common bone cancer for dogs. We opted not to amputate her front leg and knew we wouldn't have much more time with her. The cancer spread and she went downhill fast over the summer. We knew it was time, but I wasn't prepared for her to go so soon.

I loved her dark brown eyes, soft brown ears, funny black spots, snake licking tongue, sharp claws, and wet nose. She loved to sleep in late with me and snuggle on the couch. She was one of a kind and I will always love my Lucylu!!

Painted Chair

Studio 11 held their second class this week....painted chairs. They had a stash of old chairs and we got to choose one to recover and paint. By the end of the evening, we had a new fun and funky chair to take home with us!

My chair...before....I love the detail on the back.

Recovering the seat was simple. The Studio 11 girls had taken the seats off already and all we had to do was staple gun on new fabric. I chose a piece of burlap to recover the seat.

After using a dust cloth on the chair, I was ready to paint. The paint is the same type we used last time...a milk paint. It is powder that you add water to and tadah! We created a color and it turned into a salmony pink. I put two coats on the chair, letting it dry in between coats. Then sanded it down until I achieved the look I wanted. Then you coat the chair with a wax polish, buff and you're done!

My completed chair! It is hard to see all the details from the sanding. I really like how it turned out and plan to put it in my craft room. I also want to try adding fabric cut outs or stencils to the seat for something fun!

After working with wood and paint for the first two classes, I have all sorts of crafty ideas pinging around in my head! I brought home scrap wood from work and I am going to have Dad help me cut it down to workable pieces to make signs. I bought red milk paint this weekend and more supplies to start my Christmas projects! Plus other goodies for a few Pinterest ideas!

Evening Ride

Tonight, I went on a bike ride after work. I rode to the zoo and with the setting sun and trees turning, it was a beautiful ride. I took a few pictures and wanted to share!



The Cottonwood River from Soden's Grove Bridge.

Harry was jealous that I went out without him. So, when I got home, we played in the backyard. He is not very good at playing...he takes the toy and doesn't give it back. Although he really wants to play fetch, it turns into something more like tug of war!

FALL has arrived!

I love FALL! There is something about the cooler weather, trees changing colors, rainy days, apple cider and chili...it is all very comforting and makes me want to stay home and cozy up by a fire! I have put out the Fall candles and decorations, opened up the house to enjoy the crisp air, and bought a mum and several pumpkins last week.

Here is the link on our crafty blog all about my new Halloween wreath! http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7565023634897105096#editor/target=post;postID=281455482422347462

Today is cool and rainy so what better weather for soup, apple cider and Halloween snacks! I wanted to share a couple recipes and pictures of our beautiful mum!

This snack mix is one my mom makes each Fall. The best part is you can add what candies and nuts you like best. I mixed peanuts, candy corn and Reese pieces (my husband's favorite) to make this simple and yummy snack. It is the perfect blend of sweet and salty with a little chocolate!

Taco Soup is one of our go to soups (2nd only to chili)! It also is very easy! All you need is 1lb. of hamburger, 1 can of corn, 1 can of kidney beans, 1 can of black beans, 1 can of chili beans, 1 can of tomato sauce, 1 packet of dry ranch seasoning, and 1 packet of taco seasoning.

Brown the hamburger, then in a stock pot or crock pot dump all the other ingredients (juice and all, no draining). Once the hamburger is browned and drained, add to the pot and simmer until ready to eat! We like ours topped with shredded cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips!! 

YARN BOMB!

I belong to a crazy group of knitters and crocheters.....we meet each Tuesday night and call ourselves the Fiber Floozies! Here is a little more about us....
http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5955882428486970323#editor/target=post;postID=836407778434197900

Have you ever heard of a yarn bomb?! They are fun, silly and very colorful...google yarn bomb and you will see a variety of examples! Locally, there have been yarn bombs in Lawrence and Wichita recently. Tuesday Night Knitters yarned a piano downtown during the summer for Symphony in the Flinthills. During Dirty Kanza, someone yarn bombed a bike downtown.

Many months ago one of our members, Melinda, had a great idea to Yarn Bomb the Central Care Cancer Center (where she works) in October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Immediately the Floozies were on board and starting planning. We started making pink pieces to be wrapped around trees, poles, and more. Melinda found body part patterns that we could knit or crochet representing the different types of cancer. All of the planning and knitting came together on Tuesday, October 2nd. In the cover of darkness, dressed in black, we met with our supplies and spent several hours bombing the Cancer Center with pink yarn! It was so fun! We covered the trunks of about ten trees, several poles, a bench, a bike rack, bushes, and Melinda made an educational display inside the Cancer Center.
 

The crazy yarn bombers!



Barb made a wreath with our knitted and crocheted boobies!

  

We hung the boobie wreath and "You Have Been Yarn Bombed" inside. We each signed the sign using a funny yarn pseudonym...like "Happy Hooker" or "Granny Squared"!

  

Up close..we used all types of pink yarn.

  

Several of the body parts in our "Body Part Tree". We made a bone, uterus, brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, eyes, ears, pancreas, testes, lymph nodes, and more!



Three trees right at the entrance of the Medical Arts Center.



I love the contrast of the pink yarn with the green leaves!

 

The Ribbon Tree...there are over 20 different ribbons representing all types of Cancer Awareness.

 

Tree with fringe!



The display inside Melinda made. Each body part we made has information beside it about that type of cancer.



Several Floozies were on KVOE on Wednesday morning. I went over my lunch on Wednesday to take more daytime pictures. You can find a bunch of photos on Facebook under our Tuesday Night Knitting page. We all had a fun time and hope the community enjoyed our little "prank". I had a friend make up t-shirts and we are going to have a few printed. We are hoping to make an annual event out of our yarn bomb!!